Tandem draft-gear



W. A. GEIGER.

TANDEM DRAET GEAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. a, 1919.

1,3552959, Panama ont. 19,1920,

INVENTORI l WHA/1555155.- "f ,qeggef M2 M ,J

- Amm UNITED sTAri-gs PATENT ori-ics WILLIAM A. GEIGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM H.` MINER, 0F

CHAZY, NEW YORK.

'e TANDEM DRAFT-GEAR. f

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

Application led April 3, 1919. Serial No. 287,217.

To all e0 hom t may con cera:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. GEIGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a cei'tain new and useful Improvement in Tandem Draft- Gears, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

rIliis invention relates to improvements in tandem draft gear.

At the present time there is a pressing demand for spring gears of high capacity which can be iiiterchanged with friction gears on cars built in accordance with regulations of the Railroad Administration. These cars are provided with front and rear sets of stops only, spaced 243- apart and the draw bar is connected to the friction ear by means of a single pocket strap. any of the railroads object to the use of friction gears and desire to employ a heavy capacity spring gear, preferably one of the tandem type.

The object of my invention is to provide a tandem draft gear which can be interclianged with the friction gears and utilized with a single pocket yoke and front and rear sets of stops only. i

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a horizontal, sectional view of-aportion of a draft rigging showing my improvements in connection therewith. F ig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of one of the members employed in my improved gear.

In said drawing, 10-10 denote channelshaped center or draft sills of a railway car to the inner faces of which are secured front stops 11-11 and rear stops 12-12, the same being spaced 2117; apart in actual practice .in accordance with present specifications of the Railroad Administration. The draw barv is indicated at 13 and a single pocket yoke 14 is shown riveted thereto. The parts are supported by any suitable means such as the detachable saddle plate 15.

In carrying out my improvements, I provide two like members designated generally by the reference A. The members A are so designed as to be conveniently and cheaply manufactured in the form of malleable castings and in top plan simulateV a large letter F. .Each member A, as shown, comprises a transversely extending end web forming a follower and indicated at 16, alongitudinally extending leg 17 and a transversely extending arm 18 disposed intermediate the ends of the leg 17 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The transverse follower web 16 is suitably braced on the inner side thereof by strengthening ribs 19, the longitudinal leg17 is similarly strengthened by outer ribs 20l and the transverse arm 18 is braced by horizontal ribs 21. y

The position of the arms 18 on the two members A is made'such that they overlap midway between the follower portions and occupy a space, longitudinally, corresponding approximately to the horizontal dimension of a thimble of a tandem yoke. Two

springs BB are employed arranged in tandem formation, each spring 'being interposed between an arm 18 of one member and the end follower portion 16 of the other member. In this way, it is evident that the springs would be operated in tandem.

The length of the legs 17 is made such that the ends 22 thereof are normally spaced from the follower portion of the other members A a distance not greater than the permissible compression of the springs B. This results in the leg of one member A coming into contact with the follower of the other member A before the springs can be overconipressed. With this arrangement it is impossible for the transverse arms 18 to be subjected to more pressure than the capacity of the springs. It will also be noted that when the two members A do come into contact at the end of the compressive stroke, a very rigid column is formed between the front and rear follower portions by the two legs 17-17.

The construction herein described is coinparatively cheap to manufacture and provides an efficient form of tandem gear readily interchangeable with friction gear equipment now specied by the United States Railroad Administration.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging having sills, front and rear stop-acting means, a draw bar and yoke-acting means, the vcombination with a pair of members, each having an end follower portion, a longitudinally extending leg, and a transversely extending arm intermediate the ends of said leg, said members a transversely extending arm intermediate 10 the ends of said leg, the arms being over-- lapped, of two springs, each spring being interposed between the arm of one'member and the follower portion of the other member, the free ends of the legs of said mem- 15 bers being normally spaced from the follower portions of the opposed members a distance not greater than the permissible compression of the springs. Y 3. As an article of manufacture, a com- `bined follower and pressure-transmitting 20 member for a tandem spring gear, said inember comprising a 'casting of substantially l?V formation in' plan.

In witness that I claimV the foregoingI have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th 25 day of Meh., 1919.

WILLIAM A. GEIGER.

Witness CARRIE GAILING. 

